Miss Bingley ruins herself
by jaufanfic
Summary: What would have happened if Caroline attempted to compromise Mr Darcy? How would Georgiana try to save him from marrying Miss Bingley to repay him for saving her from Wickham?
1. Chapter 1

What would have happened if caroline attempted to compromise Mr Darcy? How would Georgiana try to save him from marrying Miss Bingley to repay him for saving her from Whickam?

Chapter 1

 **For the purpose of this story Lydia and Mr. Whickam do not elope.**

Caroline was seething, this was supposed to be the time. They had arrived at Pemberley yesterday and she had it all planned out. She would pay great attention to Georgiana, so that her brother could see how good a sister she could be to her and display all the accomplishments that a good wife should have and he would finally propose. There was no one else to compete with in Pemberley, or any callers that might interrupt like in London. They were in his home so he would have to be a good host and spend time with them.

And then she arrived at Pemberley to find out that Miss Elizabeth Bennet had been touring the house and had encountered Mr. Darcy. And now his focus was back on her fine eyes. She could not understand the appeal of Miss Elizabeth, she was unrefined, came from a dreadful family connected to trade, with an embarrassing mother and younger sisters. She was nothing compared to her.

Caroline suddenly realized she would have to be more proactive. Mr. Darcy was an honorable man, if she was compromised by accident he WOULD have to marry her. So she decided to come up with a plan, a plan that would ensure that her dream would finally come true. Caroline would become the next Mrs. Darcy and she would be the Mistress of Pemberley.

She summoned her trusty maid that she had had with her for many years. She had chosen her for her ability to find out any manner of gossip and her lack of scruples. She suited Caroline just fine. She had to act quick, tomorrow Mr. Darcy would be going to Lambton with Georgiana to call on Miss Bennet, and she could not give Miss Eliza any more time to bewitch him away from her.

"I've had enough of this Miss Bennet and her fine eyes! Pemberley is supposed to be mine! Mr Darcy was supposed to look at me, not at that country nobody. So I've decided that a change of plans is in order. I am going to need your help tonight, it's time to take a different approach to becoming the future Mistress of Pemberley. If I can't convince him that I'm the perfect wife material I will have to give him a little push?"

Her maid gave her a knowing smile and responded "I think that is a wise idea Miss Bingley what do you need of me?"

"I need you to get some information so that we can come up with a plan to compromise him. I was thinking of going to his bedroom while he is sleeping and laying next to him so we can be discovered." She said all of it with an exited glint in her eyes. She could hardly wait.

"I'll figure out everything that you need Miss Bingley. Especially the times of that valet of his, he is very loyal and if he is not yet asleep might catch you and the plans will be for naught."

"Indeed, so you know what to do, find out as soon as you can so we can start to get our plan in motion, my future as Mrs. Darcy awaits." Her maid started to giggle and in her excitement she started to giggle as well.

Suddenly a knock on the door startled them, the door opened and a maid entered. "Miss Bingley dinner is ready and about to start"

"I will be down shortly" The maid curtsied and left. Miss Bingley finished preparing herself and went down to dinner with an air of superiority and victory, without knowing that tonight was not going to be her night of triumph, no, it was going to be her night of ruin.


	2. Chapter 2

Chpater 2

While dinner was starting there was a maid in Pemberley that was not certain how to proceed. She was the most recent hire in Pemberley, the only recent hire to be precise. Most of the staff had been in Pemberley for many years. Many had even gotten their jobs from other friends and family that had previously worked there. The staff knew each other well and were loyal to the Darcy's. Alice was new and young, and while she knew how to do her duties very well, scheming ladies were not what she knew. She liked Mr. Darcy, and the entire house was humming with interest about the Miss Bennet that had come to visit, that, the master was so interested in, and she had been thoroughly warned about Miss Bingley. Miss Bingley wanted to marry the master but the master had no desires to marry her and only tolerated her because of his friend. And now she, off all his servants knew of the plans that would work against him. She realized that she was in over her head and needed help, so she decided to go to someone that she trusted and that would know what to do, Sally, Miss Georgiana's maid.

Sally had befriended her when she had arrived at Pemberley, and had been the one to warn her of Miss Bingley. She was also fiercely loyal to Miss Georgiana and knew better how the upper circles moved, she would know what to do. She would know what to do with what she had overheard.

Down in the dinning room Miss Bingley was enjoying herself, although, the same could not be said about Mr Darcy, that was suffering her attentions. Miss Bingley was originally meant to be sitting farther away from him but Miss Bingley had shamelessly ignored the place cards and had sat just next to him to be able to get his attention much to his distaste. Then the subject of the Miss Bennet came up.

"I have to say Mr Darcy how surprised I was to hear that miss Eliza had been touring Pemberley, I mean what must she think coming here?" she exclaimed quite loudly.

"I understand from what Mrs Reynolds told me, that it was her aunts wish to tour Pemberley, after all she grew up in Lambton." Darcy tried not to show his annoyance with the question. Mr. Bingley hearing the name Bennet soon joined the conversation.

"Well I think it's wonderful that we might see Miss Elizabeth again, I always found her quite pleasant"

"Honestly Charles, you always find everyone quite pleasant, but I never saw anything worth admiring in Miss Eliza, yes, she might have some pretty eyes but nothing really out of the ordinary. She is not particularly pretty nor elegant, she is too impertinent and outspoken and truly, the most that can be said in her favor is that she is a great walker. And I am not certain that is very ladylike, quite the contrary I find it quite unladylike. Don't you agree Mr Darcy?"

"Not at all, I myself enjoy walking, and I believe that when one has an estate in the country one should learn to love walking to truly enjoy one's lands. But I guess someone who does not come from landed gentry and was raised on the city might not understand." His not so subtle jab at the fact that she had come from trade silenced her for a moment. How was she to respond to that? Could she never erase the fact that her family fortune had been made by trade? She had been educated like a Lady, Charles had gone to University, they gave all the appearance of a family of landed gentry, why could they not just forget about their unfortunate beginnings? That was why marrying Mr Darcy was perfect. He was rich, had a great and old estate, was family to nobility; she would finally be who she had always meant to be, a great lady. She would be part of the highest circles, she would no longer be the sister of Mr Darcy's friend, she would be Mrs. Darcy and all her dreams would come true. Tonight, tonight was when her future would start.

While Miss Bingley was dreaming about her future joy, Alice had finally found Sally, Miss Georgiana's maid. She was unsure about how to tell her what she had overheard, and her distressed must have been clear in her face because Sally, seeing her deathly white and shaking, lead her to sit down and asked her what was wrong.

"I am unsure about what to do, I have overheard something dreadful but I am so new here I have no idea how to proceed. I thought that you might guide me, you know the Darcy's and the staff well. I truly do not wish for anything bad to happen to anyone."

"Good Lord Alice what have you overheard that is so dreadful? And from whom did you overhear it?"

"Miss Bingley" she managed to whisper.

"That dreadful Miss Bingley what is she scheming now?"

"She wants to compromise Mr Darcy so that he will have to marry her."

"Are you certain? Did she say so in those words?"

"Yes, she asked her maid to find out at what time his valet retires so she might have no interruptions when she attempts to sneak into his rooms to sleep in his bed so they can be discovered."

"That woman has no shame! She has come year after year imposing on the Master and the Mistress, looking down at all the good people working here and calculating the worth of every piece of furniture and now, she is going to attempt to force our good Master Darcy to marry her! That hateful woman!" She knew that Sally would not take the information she had well. She cared vary much about Miss Georgiana and that made her care a great deal about Miss Georgiana's beloved brother.

"What should I do Sally?" Sally looked pensive for a moment.

"I will talk with Miss Georgiana. Do you have any more duties tonight?"

"No"

"Then you will stay with me. After dinner they will entertain for a bit, when they retire, I will immediately talk to Georgiana and you will tell her what you told me. Mr. Darcy always goes to his office for an hour or two before retiring to bed and his valet normally does not retire until an hour later so we have about three hours to talk and plan. Do not worry Alice you did well coming to me, we will make certain that nothing happens to Mr Darcy." Alice suddenly felt as if a weight had been lifted from her chest. She had done the right thing coming to Sally, and all would be well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone that had read this story and has favorited it, followed or reviewed. It is an incredible feeling to know that people are enjoying my work. I am also sorry for those of you who have been pained by my problems with grammar and spelling. All I can say is that I will try to do better, but english is not my first language and this is my first time writing a story so I am sure that there will still be many mistakes.**

Chapter 3

Caroline was glad it was time to retire, when the gentlemen had joined the women after the division of the sexes Mr. Darcy had sat himself next to his sister and ignored her as much as he could without being rude. When she had suggested some music he had encouraged Georgiana to play and then proceeded to go with her to the piano and turn the pages. That left her with her brother, sister and Mr Hurst. She finally decided to cut her losses and retire. That prompted Georgiana, Mr and Mrs Hurst to also retire, but Mr. Darcy and Charles decided to go to his study to talk. She was fine with it, it gave her more time to plan.

She arrived at her room and her maid was waiting for her. As she undressed her maid informed her of everything she had learned.

"It was not so easy to get information from these Pemberley servants, but I did manage to get what you needed."

"Do tell"

"Mr Darcy normally does not immediately retire, he goes to his study for an hour or two. Then he goes to his room. His valet normally retires and hour after that. I think midnight would be the best time to put you plan in action."

"Midnight is a good time. It will be the start of a new day for me and my future."

While she undressed Miss Georgiana was arriving at her quarters and was about to be giving very distressing information.

Georgiana did not expect for Sally to be waiting for her with another maid. They both looked concerned but, the other maid which she believed her name was Alice, the recent hire, looked particularly worried. Sally approached her.

"Miss Georgiana I'm afraid we have some distressing information to share with you. While she was doing her duties Alice unintentionally overheard a conversation. She was not certain what to do with the information and came to me. I thought that the most prudent thing was to come directly to you." Georgiana started to get nervous, she trusted Sally, she would not be so worried without good reason. She turned to Alice.

"What did you overhear?"

"I was going to inform Miss Bingley that she was expected for dinner when I accidentally head her talking to her maid. They were talking about a plan to compromise Mr Darcy so that he would have to marry her."

"No! It cannot be! Miss Bingley? She would not dare!" But a sliver of doubt passed through her. Wouldn't she? Miss Bingley had not hidden her desire to become Mistress of Pemberley and she clearly had not gotten far with her brother after all this years. Was she that desperate and without morals?

"I am sorry Miss Georgiana but that is what I heard I am certain of it. I have always had a very good hearing."

"Tell me exactly what you heard word by word." Georgiana listened carefully as Alice proceeded to tell her the entire conversation she had overheard. After she had heard the entire story she stood up and went to the window to look outside. A range of emotions were warring inside of her. Things had been going steadily better for her since that dreadful day when she discovered she had been deceived by Mr Wickham. She had hidden behind her shyness and became afraid from interacting with the world, her confidence had been greatly shaken.

But now all she felt was anger. Miss Bingley that had been invited to Pemberley many times, whose family her brother had helped a great deal, was planning in to compromise her brother in his very own home to force him to marry her. She had always found her superficial, arrogant and impolite, and had always known that she had set her cap on her brother, but to resort to this. This, she had not expected and this, she would not allow. She would be shy Miss Darcy no more. Her brother needed her, her brother had loved her, protected her, saved her from Mr. Wickham and had never resented her for her foolishness. No, this time it would be her that would love him, protect him and save him. Miss Bingley would pay for attempting this and Georgiana would ensure that Miss Bingley would never have another opportunity to try again.

Georgiana turned to her two maid. "Ok, listen to me carefully, this is the plan. First, Alice you will bring Mrs Reynolds to me, she must be informed of our plans. Two, Sally you will bring me my brothers valet, Parker, I must speak with him as well, I have a plan, but the most important part of this is that no one must know except us and Mrs. Raynolds and Parker. Not even my brother."

"But Miss Georgiana what about your brother? Should he not be informed?"

"No Sally, I know that this is a lot to ask of you but you must trust me. I know what will happen if we inform my brother. For proprieties sakes he will go to Bingley to inform him of everything. Bingley is too good and will believe this is all some sort of misunderstanding and will tell my brother not to worry. He will go to Miss Bingley and she will deny it all. We only have Alice's word on what happened, she is a servant and a new one at that. They will place the blame on her and then Miss Bingley will try another day, in a different way that we might not be able to anticipate. No, we must act today, we must expose her without my brother being compromised, that way my brother will be free and her shameful actions will reveal what kind of person she is and my brother will not have to fear her schemes any more." Sally and Alice nodded their understanding.

"So go and fetch Mrs. Raynolds and Parker discreetly, no one else can know, we have a lot of planning to do."

Darcy sat in his office, Bingley had just retired and had left him alone. He was thinking about his failed proposal to Miss Elizabeth. He was especially remembering the part where she had claimed that her sister had cared a great deal about Bingley. He had not yet told Bingley about his deception about Miss Bennet being in London. He despised deception, and the knowledge that he was wrong about Miss Bennet was making him feel even guiltier. He had to come clean, his conscience demanded it. He resolved to do it tomorrow, it was time to get it over with.

He was just finishing his drink when he hear a knock in his study. "Come in."

"Sir, I am sorry to disturb you but I have some unfortunate news." Darcy looked at his loyal valet, Parker, and signaled him to go on. "I am afraid that there has been some sort of accident in your room sir, I'm afraid one of the windows has broken. I will not bore you with the details, but it will not be fixed until tomorrow and with the wind Mrs. Raynolds does not believe that it will be comfortable for you to sleep in you chambers tonight. She had prepared the chambers normally reserved for your aunt and uncle Lord and Lady Matlock if it pleases you."

"Are you certain nothing can be done tonight?"

"No sir, but it will truly will not be so inconvenient Sir, it will only be for tonight and I have already taken anything you might need of clothing and toiletries."

"Well, then it seems I have little choice, thanks for informing me. I believe I will retire now."

"Of course sir, I will go right ahead of you to make certain everything is in order." He closed the door as he left. Darcy decided that he would not make a big deal about this inconvenience, it was only one night after all, he stood up and left.

It was quarter to midnight, Caroline was nervous and she wished she had not dismissed her maid hours ago. She stood up and started pacing along her room. She was not having second thoughts, quite the contrary, but the wait was killing her. She had been ready hours ago, she had brushed her hair, got into her most revealing night dress and waited for the time to arrive. She only had a few minutes to go.

Caroline kept watching the clock until it finally reached midnight. She suddenly felt a surge of excitement, she grabbed a candle and grabbed the robe. She tiptoed silently, so she would not be heard and raise any suspicions. She finally saw her destination, Mr. Darcy's chamber's door. Her stomach was spinning and she felt as she would faint, she finally grabbed a hold of the handle and tried to open the door. To her surprise it would not open. She pushed a bit harder and it seems like it budged a little, so she put all her force behind it and suddenly the door opened. Too fast for Miss Bingley to react as she fell forward, a scream instinctively coming out of her mouth, loud enough, to wake everyone in the vicinity up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Poor Caroline, but I don't feel sorry for her at all. I'm glad some of you enjoyed how it all started to fall apart for her. Here is everyone reaction and Georgiana's plan start to become a bit clearer. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

Caroline was sprawled out on the floor, half her body inside Mr. Darcy's room half outside in the corridor. She lifted her head slightly and realized that she was not looking at Mr Darcy but at his valet.

"What are you doing here Miss Bingley," she realized that he was speaking very loudly, she could also hear movement behind the other doors. In panic she realized she must have woken everyone up. As she tried to stand, the doors started opening. Georgiana's first, then her brother's, then her sister's and then Mr. Hurst's and lastly at the very end of the corridor Mr Darcy's. Caroline's mind went into shock. What was he doing so far away from his own chambers? They all stood with candles looking at her. Then Mrs Reynolds also appeared with two maids likely to see what the problem was. They must have heard the scream. Caroline stood still, not knowing what to do. Finally her brother spoke.

"What on earth are you doing Caroline?"

Caroline panicked, this was not how the plan was supposed to go. She needed to think fast or all her plans would be for nothing. "Oh Charles, this is so embarrassing. I don't know how to tell you… I'm afraid I was to meet Mr. Darcy."

Mr Darcy hearing her statement approached them in fury. "That is false! To be accused so in my own home. And if that were true, why would I not be in my room? Would I not have notified you madam when I had to change rooms for the night? She is lying!" Charles was looking in shock and panic between Darcy and her, she needed to convince him.

"Oh Mr. Darcy, how can you say such a thing. I know that it is most improper, which is why you do not wish to confess it, but I have been compromised now. The servants have seen, you must own up to it."

"My lord Caroline, you are right, you have been compromised." Charles had gone white, but Mr Darcy was going red with fury.

"If you are compromised you have compromised yourself, and anyhow Pemberley's servants are very loyal, not a word will get out of this, I will make sure of it."

"But what if it does, brother you must see. I would be ruined, you must do something, I am your sister." Charles looked between Darcy and her speechless. She looked at her sister farther down the hall and gave her a pleading look. She come forward. "Charles, Caroline is right, she will be ruined if she does not marry now, you must make this right, you are her brother, you are responsible for her."

"Well… Darcy…"

"No Bingley, I refuse to be forced into marriage by this scheming… I refuse to call her a lady."

Georgiana suddenly stepped forward. "Why do we not all calm down, it is late and we are tired, I suggest we talk this through tomorrow morning, we should all go to sleep. Sally–" she gestured at her maid. "–Will stay with Caroline tonight and Parker will stay with my brother and tomorrow, after breakfast, we will talk. How does it sound?"

"That sounds like a marvelous idea Miss Darcy." Charles chimed in relieved. "Lets all go to bed and we will resolve this tomorrow morning."

Georgiana looked at her brother and he finally turned and left for his room, his loyal valet following after him. Louisa grabbed her arm and dragged her to her room, the maid following behind her. When we were behind close doors Louisa finally spoke her mind. "What were you thinking Caroline? Have you lost your mind?"

"I needed to do something or Mr Darcy would not have me."

"Mr Darcy will not you have you now either, and you have shamed our entire family in the process. Do you realize the repercussions this could have on our entire family?"

"Mr. Darcy is a man of honor, the plan might have not gone exactly as planned, and it might take some time but he will marry me in the end."

"Are you delusional? You did not manage to compromise HIM, just yourself. He is not honor bound to marry you for your own shameful actions. And that story you made up back there, about arranging to meet him will be believed by no one. His character and morals are very well established."

"Silence Louisa! I know what I'm doing."

"On your own head then, goodnight." She turned and left.

The next morning breakfast was tense. No one spoke and they barely ate, except Mr. Hurst, who seem the least bothered by the mood.

Darcy could barely eat or drink. He took some small sips from his tea but even that was an effort. He had never felt this mixture of emotions before so strongly, even when he found Wickham in Ramsgate, the rage had overpowered everything else. But now, anger was mixed with anxiety and fear, true fear. He refused to marry Miss Bingley but what if this spread, he new how gossip worked, it could be turned into a lovers rendezvous gone bad in no time. People liked to gossip and they did not care whether it was true or not.

He had had such high hopes after seeing Elizabeth in Pemberley. Here is where he was at his best and could show her type of man he really was. And now… what would SHE think of all of this. Mrs. Raynolds approached Georgiana and whispered something in her ear. Georgiana stood and spoke.

"How about we retire now to the sitting room and talk. I do believe it would be better to settle this as soon as possible." She looked calm and composed, she looked at him and nodded encouragingly.

He was surprised, He thought that she would be handling this situation much worse than she was. He stood up. "Yes, lets get this over with."

As everyone stood and started leaving he stopped to talk to her. "Georgiana you don't have to be here for this."

"Yes brother, I do, don't worry about me. I have learned from what happened with Wickham and I refuse to let his shadow affect my confidence any longer. This time I can be strong for you."

They walked together to the sitting room were the Bingleys and the Hursts were waiting. Mrs Hurst looked tense, Bingley worried and Miss Bingley determined. The more Darcy looked at her the angrier he got. They sat down and Miss Bingley started to speak. "I know that what happened yesterday night was very distressing but there is a very simple solution, Mr. Darcy and should I marry."

"NO!"

"Mr. Darcy you must see it is the best solution to our problems."

"Your problems, you mean." He had never heard Georgiana talk in such a confident and cold voice. Everyone turned to stare at her as if they did not recognize her.

"Miss Darcy –"

"Don't Miss Darcy me Miss Bingley, it will not work. You came to this house as a guest, because your brother is a good friend of my brother. Every time you have been here you have imposed on us with your obsession of becoming Mistress of Pemberley, and don't try to deny it. You have not been subtle about it. We have turned a blind eye and been polite out of respect for your brother, but you have gone too far. You have abused our hospitality and have tried to take advantage of our honor to force yourself upon us, permanently this time. This will not do. I will not allow it."

"Georgie –"

"No William, this time I protect you."

"What do you mean…"

Mrs Raynolds entered the room. "The Lord and Lady Matlock, and Colonel Fiztwilliam sir." Everyone was stunned as they entered. "Well, you got yourself into a spot of trouble didn't you Darcy." Richard smirked at his stunned face.

"This is no joking matter Richard." Lady Matlock gave Richard an irritated look.

"Yes mother." But the smirk did not leave his face. As they all settled down Darcy was able to find his voice again.

"Aunt what are you doing here? I did not expect you."

"We are here to help you solve this mess, we got an express yesterday night from Georgiana explaining the situation and asked us to come to help you with this farce." He turned to Georgiana again even more stunned that before. She smiled at him.

"I told you I would protect you brother."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ho looked at Georgiana and suddenly saw a completely different girl. She was no longer the timid little girl that she used to be. Somehow, between yesterday and today she had matured into a confident young woman. But how had that happened? Did the shock of Miss Bingley attempting to compromise him cause this? Had it reminded her of what Wickham had attempted to do to her? Either way, he was glad. He felt a weight off his chest. His Georgie was stronger, and was clearly overcoming her past.

"Well, lets get this over with shall we?" His uncle had never been a patient man, but he, like Richard, seemed amused. Although he was attempting to hide it, not very successfully much to his chagrin.

His aunt looked at Georgiana and with a nod started talking. "So our current situation is, Miss Bingley, in attempt to compromise my nephew attempted to enter his chambers in the dead of night without realizing he was not actually staying there. She managed to, not so subtly, wake everyone up and in the process compromise and make a fool of herself. Did I miss anything?"

"That is not correct at all Lady Matlock. I had no such intentions, I don't understand why every one is trying to malign me. Mr Darcy will not own up to it, but we had agreed to meet –"

"That is a most horrendous lie! There was no such plan!"

"Charles you must believe me."

"Caroline –"

"Miss Bingley please desist with this lie."

"Lady Matlock –"

"Enough! I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt and allow you to come clean and spare you a great deal of pain. But I see you are as shameless and conniving as Georgiana had said you were. Unfortunately for you, you are not as cleaver as you think you are. If you were, you would not have made the plans in my nephews own home, where his servants might overhear you. Servants that are very loyal to the family that they serve, and because of that loyalty I knew of your plans before you even put them in motion."

Miss Bingleys face had gone white and her mouth was open in absolute horror. Mrs. Hurts was looking downwards in accepted defeat, Bingley had a face of such shock he was afraid he would stop breathing. He also found that he was quite stunned. The servants had found out, and he guessed, had informed Georgiana that had informed his aunt. But why had no one informed him? For a moment no sound was made, until my aunt continued.

"The maid in question that overheard you went to Georgiana, who devised a plan with the secrecy of many of the servants in Pemberley to set up a trap for you. She, also sent me an express and wrote to me about what she had learned and off her plans, and asked for my assistance today. As you can see Miss Bingley, you had failed before you had even started. I also know how ladies like you work, and I know what sort of lies you would have created to try to force my honorable nephew to choose between marrying you, or, leaving you in ruin and possibly losing your brother's friendship in the process. As I know you would use all your influence to manipulate your brothers affection to your side."

"Why was I not informed? After all the plans were made around me." He directed the question at his aunt but looked at Georgiana. He was not happy that he had been kept ignorant of what was going on in him own home.

"Very simply Darcy, Georgiana thought, and I agreed, that you would simply go to your friend and inform him of what you knew. He is too kind a person to think badly of others, especially his own sister, and he would have been convinced it was some sort of misunderstanding. Miss Bingley would have heard her plans were discovered and would wait for a later date to come up with a different plan and try again. Neither Georgiana nor I wanted to give her a second opportunity. So Georgiana set the trap, Miss Bingley fell into it, quite inelegantly I hear, and here we are. I also sent an express myself to London to my dear friend Lady Bethany. As you know, she has connections to several newspapers and magazines and unless I send a letter to contradict what I have already sent, it will be all over London that Miss Bingley made an absolute fool of herself by trying and failing to compromise Mr. Darcy. She is a very good friend of mine and will control the rumor so that it is in my nephews favor so that his reputation remain impeccable. Can't say they same for yours Miss Bingley."

Miss Bingley looked like she was about to faint, Charles had to hold her up. He looked at his aunt near trembling himself. A part of him was enjoying her suffering, she had chased after him for years, making his stay at his own home uncomfortable. She felt absolutely no regard for him, she had seen him as a staircase to high society, a way or raising herself up. But he did feel for Charles, his dear friend. He composed himself a bit and attempted to reach a compromise with his aunt.

"I am certain there is not need for such drastic measures Lady Madlock. My sister, I am sure, has learned her lesson and will not try anything of this sort again."

"Truly Mr. Bingley? Can you assure it? You have never tried to reign her in before. My nephew is your best friend and yet you have allowed your sister to hound him incessantly in his own home. That does not inspire confidence." Louisa finally straightened up and addressed his aunt.

"I will help Charles you ladyship. I admit to encouraging her and take the blame for it, but, she can go to our aunts for a time and then stay with us. I will make certain with Charles that she does not inconvenience your family again. I swear."

"Aunt, I am as outraged about this as you are, but completely ruining Miss Bingley reputation will bring a shadow upon the entire family." As much as he despised what she had attempted to do, he could not do that to Charles. He was his friend, and he did not want him to suffer the humiliation of reading the story in every newspaper and magazine.

"I will have some mercy and write to Lady Bethany."

"Thank you your Ladyship."

"Don't thank me yet. While her indiscretion will not appear in the newspaper and gossip magazines, Lady Bethany had instructions to starts spreading rumors the moment her expressed arrived. I did not know how this would develop and I did not wish for it to get out of control, so, I made sure to have a fail safe. The rumors will not say exactly what happened, only that Miss Bingley attempted to force my nephew to marry her and failed. It will be all over London soon."

Miss Bingley did faint then and Louisa jumped from her seat to help her sister. One thing was certain Miss Bingley was ruined, Lady Bethany would ensure it. She was a good friend of his aunts and had been a close friend of his mothers and she was very loyal to her friends. She was also powerful member of the ton and a master at the rumor mill. She had destroyed many reputations in her lifetime, she would know exactly how to spin the rumor in his favor and make Miss Bingley a laughing stock. Charles pulled his sister into his arms and exited the room, Louisa and Mr. Hurst followed close behind.

"Well, that concludes it then. It was certainly an amusing show. Right Darcy?" Richard looked even more amused than when he had arrived, he also looked terribly pleased. Darcy didn't know how he felt. He was feeling very contradictory emotions.

"I don't know why you're looking so pleased Richard, it's not like you did anything."

"Don't look so dour Darcy, it all went well and now you'll be free of her." He did feel relieved that he would not have to deal with Miss Bingley again. Georgiana looked at him and she looked more like the timid young girl he had known that the new confident girl he had just seen.

"Brother –"

"Thank you Georgie. Thank you for everything." A smile appeared in her face and the confident young woman appeared again. He was a bit cross at her for not informing him, and scheming behind his back, but he did not want to set her back. She had grown, and matured all to save him, and he was proud. He did not want to undo it. He would talk to her at a later date about keeping him ignorant of the schemes going in his own home.

"So, since you came all the way to Pemberley to help with Miss Bingley, and it has all been resolved, how long will you be staying?" A part of him wished that they were not staying at all. While he was grateful, he had suddenly recalled a charming pair of eyes that he wanted to see again. With Miss Bingley out of the way it would be easier to court Miss Bennet, or at least try to show her who he really was, that he had improved and that he was worthy of her.

His uncle looked at him with a smirk in his face. "Why nephew, you sound as if you wish to get rid of us. Doesn't he Richard?"

"Indeed father, why would that be…?"

His aunt attempted and failed to hide her amusement but reprimanded them both. "Stop it both of you, whatever reasons he might have–" and she looked at Darcy with a knowing smile "–it's none of our business… for now." And she gave him another piercing look, that clearly stated that the conversation was not over. He looked at Georgiana and she had an amused but slightly guilty face and avoided his eyes when he looked at her. He was suddenly very eager to know what had been in that express that Georgiana had sent his aunt. "We will be out of your hair after lunch dear nephew, if that does not pose a problem."

"Not at all, I'll tell the servants to prepare rooms for you so you can freshen up from your trip and I'll tell them that you'll be here for lunch."

"Fantastic, that's settled then."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

His aunt and uncle and Richard retired to their rooms and he was left alone with Georgiana.

"So Georgie, it seems that you have saved me from Miss Bingley."

"Oh brother please, do not be cross with me for not informing you. I was just so angry when I heard what she had planned. You should not have to be wary in your own home because of her. She needed to be stopped, permanently."

"I am not cross my dear, I am just surprised. I did not believe you capable of such a scheme, much to my shame."

"To be truthful brother, neither did I, until it happened. I was so outraged, and I was reminded of Wickham, and how he had schemed to get me to marry him for my status and money. Miss Bingley was no different to him, and suddenly I was reminded of all the pain and shame I had felt. But I realized that I had a choice to make, and I was not going to let people like them rule my life or yours."

"Well, I am glad, but do not think you have escaped being reprimanded about encouraging my staff to keep secrets from me. We will have a talk later on. There will be no more lying or scheming without my knowledge."

"I promise brother, I will not keep something like this from you ever again."

"You better."

The butler suddenly entered the room.

"Mr. Bingley has asked if he could talk to you Mr. Darcy."

"Tell him that I will speak to him in my office." His butler nodded and left the room.

"Well, I supposed I can't avoid this conversation."

"Good luck brother."

Darcy walked a little slower than his usual pace towards his office. He knew this would not be a pleasant talk. He still had not revealed what he knew about Miss Bennet and his deception over her stay in London. He took a deep breath and entered his study. Bingley was standing there silent and stiff as a board. He had never seen him so still.

"You wanted to talk to me Bingley."

He turned, looking more serious and defeated than Darcy had ever seen him. "Yes Darcy, thank you for speaking to me after the debacle earlier."

"Listen Bingley, I know that you would never be part of such a scheme–"

"But in a way I have been part of it, haven't I? All this years I have never tried to rein her in. I did not wish to see her atrocious behavior toward you. I do not like confrontations, you know that. I want people to get along and things to be easy, so I ignored it. I let it happen. You have always been like an older brother, someone of infinite wisdom, a man in complete control. I never realized that her behavior would be such a burden to you. You should not have had to endured it for me. I am sorry"

"Last year you came to me asking for advice. You wanted to become your own man and lease an estate like you father had wanted. Acquiring your own estate is a step on becoming your own man. But standing your own ground, not letting yourself be manipulated, not running away from confrontations; those are also important steps. You have always let other people use your lack of confidence to make you do things that you do not wish to do, and I'm afraid I am also to blame. I have not always been a good friend Bingley, especially not lately."

"What do you mean Darcy? You have always been a great friend."

"I wish that were true. I have a confession to make. Shortly after we left Hertfordshire and went to London Miss Bennet also came to London. I believe she went to stay with her aunt an uncle. She called on Miss Bingley and Mrs Hursts. Miss Bingley in her fear that being in her presence again would weaken your resolve to stay away from Miss Bennet and not propose came to me. We both agreed to keep her visit a secret form you."

"She was in London? Good lord what must have she thought of me that I didn't even bother to pay her a visit after all the attention I gave her in Hertfordshire?"

"I am sorry Bingley. I know that your sister eventually returned the call to discourage her of any future connection. At the time, I thought it to be in your best interest, now, I know it was a grave mistake."

"What changed?"

"I was informed that I was very wrong about Miss Bennet's feelings towards you, she did love you. I was wrong. I hope you can forgive me."

Bingley looked at him with a very sad smile in his face.

"There is nothing to forgive, it was my fault alone. This only further demonstrates just how weak I have been. I believed that she loved me but I let others convince me otherwise. I should have stood my ground and gone back to Netherfield and proposed. It seems that Caroline has not been the only one that has been taught a lesson with this debacle."

"It might not be too late."

"It might not, but I have to deal with Caroline first. After that I will consider it. I have a lot of thinking to do, what I wish to do with my life and how I must change. I hope we will still remain friends after everything that has happened."

"You will always have a friend in me Bingley."

Darcy could see a bit of the tension in Bingley's body fade a bit, but he still looked tired and sad.

"I have told the servants to pack, when it is all ready we will leave. I'm going to get Luisa and we will talk to Caroline. Luisa is also quite unhappy with Caroline and for once is on my side. I think that she has finally realized the damage that has been done because of Caroline's actions."

"Something tell's me that Caroline will not go quietly."

Bingley's face suddenly changed from sadness to fury. He had never seen him so angry.

"Oh, she will."

Bingley left the office. The meeting had gone better than Darcy had expected. He felt for Bingley, it had been a harsh awakening, but he hoped that in the end he would be stronger for it. Bingley was a good man and a loyal friend, he just needed a stronger backbone. Maybe this disaster with Miss Bingley would help him become a stronger man. Darcy certainly hoped so. He at least was finally released, he had confessed his part in the deception and had told him of Miss Bennet's feelings. It was all up to Bingley now, hopefully he would return to Netherfield and make thing right.

Caroline could not understand how it all had gone so terribly wrong. Today was supposed to be one of the best days of her life, the day she became engaged to Mr Darcy, instead in was the end of her life. She had been caught and defeated. If it had only been Charles and Mr Darcy she could have been able to still get what she deserved even if her plan had not gone as planned. But with Lady Matlock she stood no chance. And Georgiana… how had that timid little mouse been able to outsmart her, and why? Why would she not want her as a sister? And what was she supposed to do now?

She was in her room pacing as Charles and Louisa entered her room. Louisa looked stiff and unhappy and taking in account what had just happened it was no surprise, but Charles looked furious. It was not a natural look for him. She had never seen him so angry.

"I've called your maid and she will be coming in a moment. As soon as we are packed we will leave."

"Leave?"

"Yes, leave. What were you expecting Caroline? After your disgraceful behavior how could I ask Darcy to let us stay one more day in Pemberley. But I don't blame you Caroline, I blame myself. I have been blind and week. I thought becoming my own man meant acquiring an estate, finally fulfilling my fathers wish to become a landed gentleman. By I realize now that I was wrong. I have always allowed you and Luisa to lead me on and manipulate me for your own gains. My affections for you blinded me to your selfishness, but no more it is time to take control. We leave today and this will be the last time that you set foot on Pemberley, you will not bother the Darcy's any more."

"But if we leave there we will not be able to fix–"

"There is nothing that can be fixed. It is over Caroline, no more schemes. I will have it no more. I am your older brother and you will treat me as such."

"I agree with Charles on this Caroline. Your actions have brought disgrace on all of us. You could have completely ruined us all. I have encouraged you too much, I also did not see how out of control you were. We will all go to Scarborough together and then you will stay there for a years time."

"A year?!"

Charles took over then.

"Yes, Caroline, Luisa and I have talked and we think that it is best to give it a year for the rumors to lessen. You will be under close observation by our aunt. Luisa and I will talk to her and tell her the entire sordid tale. After a year, depending on her report Luisa and I will consider letting you into society again."

Caroline collapsed on the bed, tears started falling down her face. Luisa and Charles looked at her with no pity in their eyes. They turned and left, leaving Caroline alone.

In an hour, everything was packed and the Bingley's boarded the carriages and left. Caroline looked at the magnificent house one last time as the carriage left. She had dreamed of being mistress of that house, and now she would never set foot on it again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone I want to thank everyone that has been following this story and especially those of you who have commented. Your comments have encouraged me to go forward and they have also helped me with my writing. I have checked all the chapters and fixed some of the mistakes that you have pointed out, so hopefully the big mistakes are fixed. Thank you very much! And here finally we get some Darcy/Elizabeth for the end. I have to admit I'm a bit nervous about it cause I love this pairing and I am really afraid about writing it. Hope you like it! Here is the final chapter.**

Chapter 7

Brother and sister were in the carriage on their way to Lambton to pay a call. The Matlocks had left shortly after lunch. There had been many smirks and many insinuations, and Georgiana had confessed that she had mentioned that there was a particular lady that he was interested in. It had taken little time for Richard to make the connection to Miss Bennet, and Richard was incapable of keeping his mouth shut in cases like these, especially, with his mother. And if his aunt knew, his uncle would know. So he ended up suffering through lunch with some very smug relatives.

Darcy had to admit to being quite nervous, Georgiana was as well he could tell. They both wanted it to go well. Now that the Bingley situation was dealt with, they could dedicate all their attention to Miss Bennet and her relatives. He was hoping that they would accept an invitation to spend the day at Pemberly tomorrow. They could arrive at breakfast and spend the day with them and leave after dinner. He could show her all the beauties of Pemberley so that she would not want to leave. Maybe if he was lucky he could get Georgiana to persuade her to stay at Pemberley as Georgiana's guest for a few weeks. That would be truly wonderful.

They finally arrived at Lambton, the ride had felt unusually long. Next to him he could feel Georgiana fidgeting with excitement, she was finally going to meet Miss Bennet. The carriage stopped and the stepped out and entered the inn and asked for the Gardner's.

The moment he saw her again he was tempted to go to her, take her had, and lift it to his lips to kiss. He didn't understand how he'd thought she wasn't worthy of him. It became even more clear what an absolute fool he'd been. But now he had been gifted with a second chance and he was not going to waste it.

"Miss Bennet."

"Mr Darcy, let me introduce you to my aunt and uncle Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner."

"A pleasure and please let me introduce to you my sister Miss Georgiana."

Georgiana smiled excitedly. "I am so glad to finally meet you Miss Elizabeth, I have heard so much about you."

"Thank you. I am glad to meet you as well. I have heard many great things about you from many people."

Then there was a moment of silence were no one seemed to know what to say. Mrs. Gardiner moved forward to the Darcy's to talk.

"Instead of staying inside how about we go out for a walk, there weather is especially lovely today."

"That's a great idea aunt, what do you say Mr. Darcy?"

"I think it's a marvelous idea."

They spent the afternoon walking around Lambton and having a good time. Darcy was not able to talk to Elizabeth as much as he would have wanted, but he had gotten to know Mr and Mrs Gardiner while Georgiana talked with Elizabeth. He could see that Georgiana was greatly enjoying her time with Elizabeth and it brought him great hope for the future. But he had to admit that he had enjoyed his time as well. The Gardiners were excellent people; nice, well mannered, intelligent. Nothing like he would imagine Mrs Bennet's relatives to be. It made him realize just how badly he had judged them originally just for who they were without even meeting them.

They got back to the inn before they left for Pemberley. He was a bit worried about the invitation that he was about give. It had been an enjoyable evening but Elizabeth had spent most of her time with Georgiana, he wasn't sure if she would be open to spending an entire day with them, but he would never know if he didn't ask.

"Mr Gardiner, Mrs Gardiner, Miss Elizabeth, Georgiana and I wanted to extend an invitation to spend tomorrow with us at Pemberley. I believe that you wanted to see more of the grounds so we thought you could come for breakfast and stay until dinner. We could have a nice picnic for lunch."

"Oh please say you will come? I would love to get to know you better Miss Elizabeth. We could play the piano after dinner when the sun has set. My brother says you play so well, I would love to play a duet with you."

Mr and Mrs Gardiner seemed very pleased about the invitation but Elizabeth seemed a bit hesitant.

"Thank you Mr. Darcy but we do not wish to be an inconvenience, you have other guests to take care of."

"If you mean the Bingley's, you have nothing to worry about. An unfortunate incident forced them to depart today."

"Incident? I hope it is not to serious?"

"Serious enough, I am sure you will hear about it eventually. But as for now you have nothing to worry about. You will be the only guests we have."

Her aunt an uncle looked at her with questioning looks. It was clear that they would let her choose.

"Then we kindly accept your invitation Mr Darcy."

Georgiana had to contain her squeal of happiness. Darcy was not far behind, he felt like he was floating. They said their goodbyes and left. Now he would have to talk to Mrs Reynolds to make certain that tomorrow would go perfectly.

Elizabeth could feel her aunt an uncle watching her as she looked out the carriage window. They were on the way to Pemberley to spend the day. They had tried to subtly question her last night after Mr. and Miss Darcy left. She could understand their curiosity. She had not spoken well of Mr. Darcy in the past and had made it clear they were not on friendly terms, but Mr Darcy's actions had expressed quite the opposite. He had come all the way to Lambton to call upon her and introduce his sister, and had invited them to spend the entire day with them. The first time he had proposed it had been an immense surprise for Elizabeth, nothing in his demeanor towards her had made her aware of his feelings towards her. He had hidden them well. He was not hiding them now. She could clearly see in the way that he looked at her, talked to her and his actions. His aunt an uncle were very clever people. They had picked up that something had changed since the last time she had talked to them about Mr Darcy.

She could see Pemberley from the window, even more beautiful than the first time she had seen it. A part of her was nervous of how the day would go, it seemed that Mr Darcy had not forgotten her or he would be trying to avoid her, not inviting her to his home. At least Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst would not be there. She did wonder what had happened. It was of no real important anyhow, she decided that she would enjoy the day. She would not let what had happened in the past burden her or cloud her judgment.

Darcy could scarcely believe that the day was going so well. Breakfast had started a bit slow but little by little the conversation had gotten very friendly and animated. It had taken Elizabeth very little time to relax and let go of the tension. It had taken him a bit more but when they had ended breakfast and had left to walk the grounds he was enjoying himself so much that any tension that he had had was gone.

They had walked with the lunch baskets for an hour or so until they found a lovely clearing on top of a small hill. They laid down the blankets and the food baskets for later. He could see that Miss Elizabeth would enjoy walking some more, she had a great love for the outdoors and an hour of walking had not tired her out. Georgiana claimed exhaustion and so did Elizabeth's aunt and uncle, and he saw the perfect opportunity to spend a bit of time with her.

"Miss Elizabeth, if you wish to keep walking I could accompany you. We are at the top of the hill, so if we walk straight on there are no trees that would hide us so we would be on sight the whole time. Is that acceptable Mr Gardiner?"

"As long as you stay were we can see you I don't see why not."

"Are you certain Mr Darcy?"

"Absolutely."

"Then lead on."

Georgiana gave him an encouraging grin, and he could see Mr and Mrs Gardiner were also hiding smiles. It was clear that they had also noticed his preference towards their niece. He was glad that they approved. He extended his arm for Elizabeth to hold and then they were off.

They kept their pace slow as to not go to far. He could feel her glancing at him every now and then. He finally got the courage to talk to her.

"Miss Elizabeth I wanted to speak with you privately. I was hoping that you were not uncomfortable or felt pressured to accept our invitation for today, I know you were a bit hesitant and I can understand why."

She didn't respond right away.

"I was a bit hesitant Mr Darcy but I am glad to be here. I am really enjoying getting to know your sister more and Pemberley and it's grounds are delightful."

"I am glad you approve. Georgiana was looking forward to getting to know you better and was very happy that you accepted the invitation. To be honest she was not the only one that was pleased. I know that we did not part at Hunsford on the best of terms, quite the contrary I'm afraid, but I have thought about what happened quite a lot since then."

"Mr Darcy… I…" She stopped walking and looked at him clearly upset. "I must ask for your forgiveness my words were harsh and cruel that day I–"

"There is no need to apologize, it is I who should apologize. You were honest and I had deeply insulted you and your family. The truth is I had not taken anyones feeling but my own into account. The fact that you might not feel the same didn't even occur to me. Your words were well deserved and I believe it has helped me to becoming a better man. I hope to show that to you, if you would give me a chance."

Silence engulfed them. Darcy held his breath as he looked at her. Then a small smile started to appear on her face.

"I am looking forward to getting to know the true and improved Mr Darcy." The last part was said with the mischievous twinkle in her eyes that he loved so much. He smiled and she responded with a wide smile of her own.

"So Mr Darcy, tell me more of the grounds that you have here in Pemberley, you know I have a great love for the outdoors."

Mr Darcy and Miss Elizabeth kept walk slowly, what had happened at Hunsford had been resolved and there was an understanding of were they currently stood. With the misunderstandings out of the way, he hoped that things would turn out as he wished this time around.


	8. Epilogue

**Hello everyone, I had originally decided to finish this fic with the previous chapter but a few of you wrote wanting to know what happened with the characters so I decided to do an epilogue explaining were they all ended up. Hope you enjoy it!**

Epilogue

A year after the debacle with Miss Bingley a lot of things had changed. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy were married, as well and Jane and Mr. Bingley. The Gardiner's and Elizabeth had been invited to stay at Pemberly for a week instead of staying on with their tour. The Gardiner's seeing that something was happening between Lizzy and Mr. Darcy agreed to see if they could give the couple a bit more time. During this time Lizzy got to know Darcy better and started to fall in love with him, and while they had not reached an understanding by the time she left Pemberley, Darcy was being extra cautious after Hunsford, it was clear to those around them that they would reach to an understanding soon. When Mr. Bingley came back to Lougnbourn to propose to Jane, Darcy joined him, and a few weeks after Mr. Bingley had proposed to Jane he proposed to Elizabeth. Both couple eventually married in a double wedding.

Mr. and Mrs. Darcy were very happy, they had their disagreements as they both had strong personalities, but they never allowed them to get out of control and damage their relationship. Jane and Mr. Bingley were also very happy, especially after they found an estate in Derbyshire a few hours away from the Darcy's. Even the amiable tempers of Jane and Mr. Bingley could only take so much of Mrs. Bennet descending on Netherfield every day. Jane eventually started having a nice honest friendship with Mrs. Hurst, without Caroline's influence the family dynamic changed drastically and over all they were much happier.

A year after being sent to her aunts Caroline was allowed back into society, so she joined her siblings in London. Her reputation while not shattered was not the best after the rumors that Lady Matlock had ensured did spread, but Caroline did not wish to acknowledge them. She tried to use her connection to Mr. Darcy through marriage to rise in society and marry someone higher in status than Mr. Darcy. Her arrogance and ignorance had not diminished, Bingley and her sister tried to direct her and contain her but in a few weeks it was glaringly obvious she had learned nothing. After disobeying her bothers orders one too many times, and making a fool of herself and ruining her reputation by chasing after a Lord shamelessly she was sent back to her aunt permanently. She never went back into society after that.

As for why Lydia did not run away with Mr. Wickham, it is simple, he was already dead. When he arrived at Brighton he found a young shy rich heiress, the problem was that she was well protected. As his situation got more desperate and he fell more into debt he attempted to seduce her so that her family would have no choice but to have them marry. He did not count on her very protective uncle that when he saw Wickham trying to seduce his niece killed him and threw his body into the sea. With Wickham gone Lydia did not run away but that did not stop her from compromising herself with Captain Denny. Only she was caught by Mrs. Foster that informed her husband that informed her father.

So Lydia did in the end marry before any of her sisters. Unfortunately for her it did not bring her the satisfaction that she thought it would in the long run. Kitty who had always been the forgotten sister became quite good friends with Georgiana Darcy in one of her visits to Pemberley and with their combined efforts they managed to convince their siblings to allow Kitty to stay with them part of the year. In the end Kitty would rotate from the Darcy's to the Bingley to her parents. And with the influence of Georgiana and her older sisters she grew up to be a more accomplished, mature, kind woman. She also grew more beautiful and with her connections managed to fall in love and marry a very wealthy man, not as wealthy and Mr. Darcy but almost a wealthy and Mr. Bingley. He was handsome and enjoyed city life and parties as Kitty did, so every time that Lydia would visit Kitty she would be very jealous of her circumstances. In the end Kitty had a happier and more fulfilling life and Lydia hated it. She could only lord over Mary as she had married a clergyman and Lydia thought that was the dullest possible future any woman could have, but even in that she was wrong. Mary was exceedingly happy. She married a man of morals and integrity but also a kind and tolerant man that helped her bloom. He adored her and she was very much in love as well. Mary was perfectly happy with life, indeed it had turned out better that she could have imagined.

In the end only Caroline and Lydia were dissapointed by their lives, their greatest tragedy though, was that they never learned and bettered themselves. They remained bitter and blamed all their misfortunes on other people except themselves.


End file.
